Table 1.
Parameters and procedures applied to estimate the volume of brain subdivisions and number of neurons
| Structures and their subdivisions | Number of sections examined (per case) | Obj. (Vol.) | Obj. (Numb.) | Grid size (μm) for fractionator | Test area frame × height (μm) | Number of counting spaces (per case) | Number of neurons counted (per case) | CE* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amygdala (four nuclei) | 12 | 1.25x | 40x | 1000 × 1000 | 80 × 80 × 10 | 356 | 454 | 0.01 |
| Thalamus | 6 | 1.25x | 40x | 1000 × 1000 | 80 × 80 × 10 | 188 | 313 | 0.01 |
| Entorhinal c. | ||||||||
| LII | 6 | 2.5x | 40x | 400 × 400 | 60 × 60 × 30 | 113 | 164 | 0.003 |
| LIII | 6 | 2.5x | 40x | 800 × 800 | 60 × 60 × 30 | 118 | 277 | |
| LV | 6 | 2.5x | 40x | 600 × 600 | 60 × 60 × 30 | 62 | 161 | |
| LVI | 6 | 2.5x | 40x | 800 × 800 | 60 × 60 × 30 | 68 | 184 | |
| CA1 | 14 | 2.5x | 40x | 1000 × 1000 | 60 × 60 × 30 | 207 | 543 | 0.003 |
| CA2 | 14 | 2.5x | 40x | 400 × 400 | 60 × 60 × 30 | 121 | 337 | |
| CA3 | 14 | 2.5x | 40x | 400 × 400 | 60 × 60 × 30 | 144 | 330 | |
| CA4 | 14 | 2.5x | 40x | 600 × 600 | 100 × 100 × 30 | 130 | 429 | |
| Caudate nucleus | 9 | 2.5x | 40x | 1400 × 1400 | 60 × 60 × 30 | 270 | 751 | 0.04 |
| Putamen | 9 | 2.5x | 40x | 1400 × 1400 | 60 × 60 × 30 | 309 | 844 | |
| Globus pallidus | 6 | 2.5x | 40x | 300 × 300 | 80 × 80 × 30 | 1953 | 505 | |
| Nucleus accumbens | 6 | 2.5x | 40x | 700 × 700 | 60 × 60 × 30 | 202 | 749 | |
| Magnocellular LGB | 4 | 5x | 40x | 500 × 500 | 100 × 100 × 30 | 96 | 230 | 0.002 |
| Parvocellular LGB | 4 | 5x | 40x | 500 × 500 | 100 × 100 × 30 | 134 | 1,418 | 0.002 |
| Claustrum | 13 | 1.25x | 40x | 250 × 250 | 60 × 60 × 10 | 274 | 318 | 0.01 |
| Substantia nigra | 10 | 2.5x | 40x | 500 × 500 | 80 × 80 × 30 | 366 | 493 | 0.002 |
| Magnocellular basal complex (Ch1-Ch4) | 16 | 2.5x | 40x | 500 × 500 | 80 × 80 × 30 | 323 | 507 | 0.005 |
| Dentate nucleus | 11 | 2.5x | 40x | 1000 × 1000 | 180 × 180 × 30 | 335 | 792 | 0.002 |
| Inferior olive | 8 | 2.5x | 40x | 1000 × 1000 | 180 × 180 × 30 | 213 | 364 | 0.002 |
| Cerebellum | 8 | 1.25x | 20x | 1800 × 1800 | 180 × 180 × 30 | 1419 | 773 | 0.05 |
Number of sections examined = mean number of equidistant sections examined per structure/case.
Obj. (Vol.) = Objective lens (1.25x, 2.5x, or 5x) used to provide final magnification for planimetry and volumetry.
Obj. (Numb.) = Objective lens (40x or 20x) used for fractionator to estimate neuronal density and total number of neurons.
*CE = the average predicted Coefficient of Error of the neuronal counts (Scheaffer).